Never was much of a Bob Dylan fan . . . not sure I could rattle off a lot of his songs . . . but one has come to mind over the last couple of mornings as I’ve read through, and hovered over my readings in the book of Romans. “You Gotta Serve Somebody,” that’s what Dylan sang back in 1979. Not exactly a sentiment that aligns with the “land of the free.” We value freedom . . . we pursue that which removes restraints . . . we want to be our own person . . . free to choose . . . at liberty to pursue happiness as we see fit. Not much place for a “you gotta serve somebody” mentality. According to Wikipedia, in response to Dylan’s song, John Lennon recorded another song, “Serve Yourself.” Is that the definition of freedom . . . to serve yourself? Nope! Romans reminds me that perfect freedom is found in slavery to a perfect master.

“But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit and not in the old way of the written code.” (Romans 7:6 ESV)

Kind of struck me as I read this . . . we died to that which held us captive . . . aka were set free . . . why? . . . for what purpose? . . . so that we may serve, literally, “so that we might be a slave” . . . so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit. Isn’t that going from one kind of bondage to another? Seems so.

Yesterday morning I hovered over Romans 6 where Paul gives thanks to God that, though these believers were once slaves of sin, they had been set free from sin and had become slaves of righteousness . . . that they had been set free from sin and become slaves of God . . . and so, Paul urges them to present their members (i.e. the parts of your body) as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification . . . sanctification then leading to its end, eternal life. (6:17-18, 22).

Slavery . . . servitude . . . under the yoke. Not terms we naturally embrace. Oh, but terms which we, as believers, should supernaturally celebrate!

It’s true that “my chains are gone . . . I’ve been set free . . . my God, my Savior has ransomed me . . . and like a flood, His mercy reigns . . . unending love, Amazing grace!” (Chris Tomlin). But that freedom . .. that release . . . those broken chains . . . they’re not intended to provide the way for me to serve myself . . . or anything else of my choosing . . . but, I have been set free that I might be brought again into captivity . . . glorious, Spirit-filled, Spirit-led captivity. The Master who I now serve is the God of creation and the King of Glory . . . the work I do now is of eternal value . . . the wages I will receive are treasures laid up in heaven (1Tim. 6:18-19) . . . and the “retirement bonus” I so desire to receive is to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant . . . enter into the joy of your Master” (Matt. 25:21).

I am not my own . . . I have been purchased with a price . . . the precious blood of Jesus (2Cor. 6:19-20). I have been released from the cruel and destructive mastery of sin so that I might “belong to another, to Him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God” (Rom. 6:4).

What a lie that freedom is to do as I please. What a false promise that I can be all I’m meant to be by living for me and being true to me. What a myth that freedom is the absence of slavery . . . freedom is the right kind of slavery.

Oh, to submit to the yoke of Christ (Matt. 11:28-29) . . . to embrace the Master’s service . . . to be set free indeed (John 8:36) by becoming slaves of righteousness . . . serving in the new way of the Spirit! To God be glory . . . amen.